U.S. patent number 4,559,543 [Application Number 06/424,409] was granted by the patent office on 1985-12-17 for ink jet recording device modular frame.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Canon Kabushiki Kaisha. Invention is credited to Hiroo Ichihashi, Yohji Matsufuji, Shigeo Toganoh.
United States Patent |
4,559,543 |
Toganoh , et al. |
December 17, 1985 |
**Please see images for:
( Certificate of Correction ) ** |
Ink jet recording device modular frame
Abstract
A recording device comprises a plural number of ink jet device
units, each unit comprising an ink jet head portion, its drive
controlling portion and a wiring portion, juxtaposed on a common
base plate.
Inventors: |
Toganoh; Shigeo (Tokyo,
JP), Matsufuji; Yohji (Tokyo, JP),
Ichihashi; Hiroo (Tokyo, JP) |
Assignee: |
Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Tokyo,
JP)
|
Family
ID: |
27322196 |
Appl.
No.: |
06/424,409 |
Filed: |
September 27, 1982 |
Foreign Application Priority Data
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|
|
|
|
Oct 13, 1981 [JP] |
|
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56-163653 |
Oct 13, 1981 [JP] |
|
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56-163636 |
Oct 14, 1981 [JP] |
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56-163715 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
347/32; 347/25;
347/42; 347/8 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B41J
2/155 (20130101); B41J 25/34 (20130101); B41J
2202/20 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B41J
25/00 (20060101); B41J 25/34 (20060101); B41J
2/145 (20060101); B41J 2/155 (20060101); G01D
015/18 () |
Field of
Search: |
;346/75,14R |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Goldberg; E. A.
Assistant Examiner: Preston; Gerald E.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Fitzpatrick, Cella, Harper &
Scinto
Claims
We claim:
1. Recording apparatus comprising:
a base plate;
a supporting plate movably mounted to said base plate;
a plurality of ink jet devices removably mounted to said supporting
plate, each said device having a head portion with a number of
outlets adapted to discharge ink disposed at predetermined
locations defining respective ink discharging planes;
a front plate mounted to said supporting plate and defining a
standard plane, said front plate having notches for accepting said
head portions and cooperating therewith to provide alignment of
said ink discharging planes in said standard plane and to position
said head portions in predetermined locations parallel to said
standard plane; and
moving means for moving said supporting plate relative to said base
plate for orienting said outlets in any of a recording position, a
capping position and a maintenance position.
2. Recording apparatus as in claim 1, wherein said outlets of all
of said ink jet devices are arranged on a predetermined line.
3. Recording apparatus as in claim 1, wherein each said ink jet
device includes a drive controlling portion and a wiring portion on
said supporting plate.
4. Recording apparatus as in claim 3, wherein each said head
portion, drive controlling portion and wiring portion are arranged
on said supporting plate in the named order.
5. Recording apparatus as in claim 3, wherein said head portion,
said drive controlling portion and wiring portion of each said ink
jet device are electrically connected.
6. Recording apparatus as in claim 1, wherein said supporting plate
has first and second opposed major surfaces and said ink jet
devices are juxtaposed on both of said surfaces of said supporting
plate.
7. Recording apparatus as in claim 1, wherein each said ink jet
device is pressure-contacted on and fixed to said supporting
plate.
8. Recording apparatus as in claim 1, wherein each said ink jet
device has outlets arranged on a line.
9. Recording apparatus as in claim 1, wherein said supporting plate
includes means for defining positions locating said ink jet devices
on at least one side of said supporting plate.
10. Recording apparatus as in claim 1 further comprising a lead,
wherein each said ink jet device includes a drive controlling
portion and a wiring portion on said supporting plate, said wiring
portion of one said ink jet device being electrically connected to
a wiring portion of an adjacent said ink jet device by pressure
contact with said lead, and said lead is provided for transmission
of signals and is common to said wiring portions.
11. Recording apparatus as in claim 1 further comprising capping
means for capping said outlets when said outlets are oriented in
the capping position.
12. Recording apparatus as in claim 1 further comprising
registration means for positioning the standard plane relative to a
recording medium when said outlets are oriented in the recording
position.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a recording device, and particularly to a
recording device equipped with an ink jet system generally called
"full-line multi-array type".
2. Description of the Prior Art
Among various recording systems presently known in the art, the so
called ink jet recording system, which is the non-impact recording
system substantially without noise during recording and capable of
high-speed recording, even on plain paper without specific fixation
treatment, is a very useful system in realizing recording devices
such as various printers, word processors, copying machines,
etc.
And, the ink jet recording system performs recording by permitting
small droplets of a recording liquid (referred to as "ink" in the
following description) to fly based on various principles of action
and attaching them onto a material to be recorded such as a paper.
The device for generating ink droplets to be used in such an ink
jet recording system, namely an ink jet system, is constituted
mainly of an ink jet head portion for formation of ink droplets and
a supply system for supplying ink to said portion.
As the first mode of the ink jet head as mentioned above, there are
those generally called the "single type" or "semi-multi type",
having about 1 to 10 ink discharging outlets. In these ink jet
heads, the structure of the head is relatively simple and exchange
operations at the time of failure or breaking of the head is easy
and not so expensive.
However, when using another mode of the head generally called the
"full-line multi-array type" to be used for printing one line of a
paper substantially at the same time, the exchange operation of the
head is not easy although probability of failure or breaking of a
part of the head is increased. Moreover, exchange of the head as a
whole is limited from the aspect of cost.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a recording device
equipped with a full-line multi-array type ink jet system which has
overcome the problems mentioned above and is high in
reliability.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a recording
device equipped with a full-line multi-array type ink jet system in
which exchange of the parts is easy and the maintenance of the
device as a whole is simple.
According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided
a recording device which comprises a plural number of ink jet
device units, each unit comprising an ink jet head portion, its
drive controlling portion and a wiring portion, juxtaposed on a
common base plate.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is
provided a recording device which comprises a base plate for
supporting a plural number of ink jet devices previously
constituted separately, positions for juxtaposing said devices on
at least one side of said base plate, and respective ink jet
devices fixed so as to coincide with those positions.
According to a further aspect of the present invention, there is
provided a recording device which comprises a front plate provided
on a base plate for supporting a plural number of ink jet devices
which are previously constituted separately, a standard plane set
at a part of the front plate, and the respective ink jet devices
being arranged on said base plate so that each ink discharging
plane of said devices may coincide with said standard plane.
According to still another aspect of the present invention, there
is provided a recording device which comprises a plural number of
ink jet device units, each unit having an ink jet head portion and
its own drive controlling portion and wiring portion, juxtaposed on
a common supporting base plate, and the wiring portions of said
respective units being electrically connected to each other by
contact under pressure with a lead for transmission of signals
which is common to these wiring portions.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of the appearance of the recording
device according to the present invention;
FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the appearance of the head unit
according to the present invention;
FIG. 3 shows a partial perspective view of the appearance of the
recording device of the present invention for illustration of the
main parts of the present invention; and
FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 are perspective views of the appearance of the
main parts of other embodiments of the recording device of the
present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The present invention is described in detail below based on the
embodiments as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the appearance of the recording
device of the present invention. In FIG. 1, 101 is a recording head
unit and the recording head unit 101 is constituted of an ink jet
head portion 103 having plural orifices 102 arranged on a line, a
drive controlling portion 104 and a wiring portion 105. The head
portion 103, the drive controlling portion 104 and the wiring
portion 105 are connected to each other through bonding wire or
flexible print plate, etc. (not shown in the drawing), and the head
unit 101 is set so as to be capable of printing individually by
input of a recording signal to the wiring portion 105. The numeral
106 denotes a supporting plate for said head unit 101 and a plural
number of said head units 101 are juxtaposed on both the surface
and the backside of the plate 106, which surfaces constitute first
and second opposed major surfaces, to provide orifices 102 in a so
called "full-line arrangement" to a width of a certain printing
paper (namely, corresponding to one line). And, each head unit 101
is detachably mounted on the suppporting plate 106 so that its
fixed position may be adjusted in the right and left direction by
the head registration plate 107 provided on the supporting plate
106, while the fixed position in the vertical direction may
adjusted by the head holding plate 108.
The numeral 109 denotes a matrix flexible print plate for
transmission of the output signal from the signal output portion
(not shown) in the drawing through the cable 110 and the connector
111 to the wiring portion 105 of each head unit 101. That is
pressure contacted with the individual wiring portion 105 for each
head unit 101 by means of the pressing jig 112 to be connected to
each wiring portion 105. Thus, the print plate 109 and each wiring
portion 105 are not bonded to each other, but they are freely
detachable.
A plate for mounting lead terminals is shown by 113, to which
another signal wire 114 from the signal output portion (not shown
in the drawing) for driving the head unit 101 and the signal wire
(not shown in the drawing) connected directly to the head portion
103 of each head unit 101 are detachably connected by screwing,
etc.
The numerals 115 and 115' both denote ink supplying pipes for
supplying ink from the ink tank 116 to a respective head portion
103.
Two ink supplying pipes 115, 115' are connected to each head
portion 103, and ink is supplied to the head portion 103 through
the two supplying pipes 115, 115' at the time of ink discharging.
Alternatively, through a valve mechanism (not shown in the drawing)
provided within the ink tank 116, ink may also be circulated under
pressure between the ink tank 116 and the head portion 103 by using
one of the pipes for feeding under pressure and the other for ink
recovery.
The ink tank 116 is provided with a cylinder block 117 equipped
internally with a pressure pump for actuating the aforesaid valve
mechanism and an air filter block 118 having a vent. The air filter
block 118 has a detachable cap 119 mounted thereon for prevention
of scattering of ink during transportation.
The ink tank 116 is also provided with ink supplementing inlets
(not shown) through which ink is supplemented from the tank for
supplement 120 so that the ink level in the ink tank 116 may be
maintained substantially constant. The tank for supplement 120 is
detachably fastened to the ink tank 116 by the fixing claws 121,
121' provided on the ink tank side 116 so that exchange between new
and old tanks may be possible, if desired.
The ink tank 116 is fixed on the ink tank base (not shown in the
drawing), and it is also fixed through metal fittings 122, 122' to
the supporting plate 106.
The numeral 123 shows a cover of the head unit 101 provided with
grooves for fixing the ink supplying pipes 115, 115', and the cover
123 is provided for the purpose of preventing the head unit 101
from contamination with ink, etc., or breaking by the shock during
handling.
Each of 124, 124' shows a registration pin which is fitted into a
pin holder provided in a paper conveying system to set the desired
distance between the orifice 102 of each head portion 103 and the
recording paper as well as other positional relations. The
registration pins 124 and 124' are secured through the respective
brackets 125 and 125' onto the supporting plate 106.
The numeral 126 denotes a base plate for mounting the ink jet
recording device shown in the drawing on the body of a machine (not
shown in the drawing), with the supporting plate 106 placed
thereon. The base plate 126 is provided with a driving mechanism
for moving the supporting plate 106 on the base plate 126 and
capping mechanisms for the orifices 102.
The supporting plate 106 is supported at its front portion by the
supporting plate guides 127, 127' and at its rear portion by the
hinge holders 129, 129' via the hinge stands 128, 128' provided on
the supporting plate 106. The hinge holders 129, 129' are slidable
via the respective guide shaft collars 130, 130' on the two guide
shafts 131, 131'. And, the guide shaft 131 is supported by the
guide shaft bracket 132 on the base plate 126 (not shown on the
guide shaft 131' side).
By moving the guide shaft collars 130, 130' forwardly or backwardly
along the guide shafts 131, 131', respectively, the supporting
plate 106 will slide on the guides 127, 127' in the directions of
the arrows in the drawing, whereby it is possible to set the front
end surface of the head at the desired position of recording
position, capping position, maintenance position, etc.
The numeral 133 denotes a head for performing capping and cleaning
of the orifices 102 and has jetting holes for jetting out air or
washing liquid against the orifices and suction holes for sucking
these materials (neither of these sets of holes is shown in the
drawing) provided on the side face confronting the orifices. The
jetting holes and the suction holes are connected, at places not
shown in the drawing, to the pressurizing side tubes 134, 134' and
the suction side tubes 135, 135', respectively, which also
communicate with the joints 136 and 137, said joint 136 on the
pressurizing side being connected through the lubricator (not
shown) and said junction 137 on the suction side through the filter
(not shown) to the pressurizing side and the suction side,
respectively, of the pump (not shown). The cleaner head 133 which
is also a cap is also set so as to take a position for recording, a
position for capping and a position for maintenance, corresponding
to the movement of the aforesaid supporting plate 106.
The supporting plate 106 is rotatable around the shafts of the
hinge pins 138 and 138' provided on the hinge stands 128 and 128'
so that the face of the supporting plate 106 on the side of the
orifice 102 may form a circular arc, when rotated and the
supporting plate 106 can be fixed at a desired angle relative to
the surface of the base plate 126 by pressing a stay 141 against
the stay angle 139 with a screw 142. One end of the stay 141 is
rotatably secured to the stay angle 140 fixed on the base plate
126. The stay angle 139 is fixed to the supporting plate 106.
Further, the screw 142 for fixing can be drawn off from the stay
angle 139 to dismantle easily the supporting plate 106 from the
base plate 126.
143 is a tube guide for fixing tubes 134, 134', 135, 135' on the
base plate 126, and 144 is a case for protection of the cable 110
and the signal wire 114. Such a protective case can prevent the
cable 110 and the signal wire 114 from damage or cutting by sudden
application of external pressure when the ink jet recording device
is mounted on the body of a machine (not shown in the drawing).
Referring now to FIG. 2, the recording head unit 101 shown in FIG.
1 is to be described in detail.
In FIG. 2, 202 is a head unit base plate, on one of the shorter
sides of which there is fixed an ink jet head portion 201, and a
wiring portion supporting stand 203 is mounted on the surface of
the base plate 202 at the rear end region of the head portion 201.
The supporting stand 203 is fastened through engagement with a
screw 211 fixed to the base plate 202, but there is no adhesion
between the supporting stand 203 and the base plate 202, and the
supporting stand 203 may be made slidable on the base plate 202 or
both can be separated from each other by removal of the screw 211.
Further, on the upper surface of the supporting stand 203, there
are mounted a wiring plate 205 and a multilayer wiring plate 208 in
that order from front to back and both are connected by the bonding
206. In this connection, 207 is a cover for the aforesaid bonding
portion 206 and, if desired, it can be dismantled from the wiring
plate 205 or the multi-layer wiring plate 208. The aforesaid wiring
plate 205 and multilayer wiring plate 208 are adhered simply to the
supporting stand 203 at their backsides so that they may be
separated from the stand, if desired.
The numeral 204 denotes a drive controlling portion, which is fixed
on the wiring plate 205 with electrical connection.
The numeral 210 denotes a flexible print plate including a lead
wires concerned with the ink jet head portion 201, one end of which
is pressure contacted on the aforesaid wiring plate 205 by means of
a holding jig 209 to effect electrical connection therebetween.
And, by loosening of the fastening screw 209b on the upper plate
209a of the holding jig, the flexible print plate 210 can be
separated from the wiring plate 205.
As described above, the recording head unit 101 can be assembled by
uniting the main parts, comprising head portion 201, the flexible
print plate 210, the wiring plate 205, the drive controlling
portion 204 and the multi-layer wiring plate 208, which are
previously constituted separately, on a common base plate 204, and,
if desired, each part is readily exchangeable.
FIG. 3 is a partial perspective view of the appearance of the
recording device according to the present invention, for
illustration of mounting of the recording head unit 101 as shown in
the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 on the supporting plate 106 in
detail.
In FIG. 3, the head registration plate 302 provided on the
supporting plate 301 is provided with the standard positioning
plane 304 in the right and left direction of the orifice 303 and
the standard positioning plane 306 in the back and forth direction
of the orifice face 305.
The standard planes 304 are provided all in the same direction
relative to the standard position of one side end surface of the
head registration plate 302, corresponding to the number and
positions of the recording head units 307 to be provided on the
supporting plate 301. On the other hand, the side face of the head
portion 308 of the head unit 307 facing toward the standard plane
304 is worked with a high surface precision, and by butting the
side face of the head portion 308 against the standard plane 304,
the positional slippage in the right and left direction of the
orifices 303 due to arranging plural head portions 308 can be kept
within 1/2 of the pitch of the orifice 303.
The standard plane 306 in the back and forth direction of the
orifice face 305 in the head registration plate 302 is common to
all the head portions 308 provided on the supporting plate 301, and
the orifice faces 305 of the respective head portions 308 can be
provided on the same plane by bringing the orifice faces 305 of the
respective head units 307 to coincide with the standard plane 306
of the head registration plate 302.
As the method to make the respective orifice faces 305 coincident
with the standard plane 306, there is, for example, the method in
which a detachable flat plate is contacted with the standard plane
306 and the orifice faces 305 of respective head portions 308 are
brought in a butt against this plate. According to this method, the
respective orifice faces 305 can be made to coincide correctly with
the standard plane 306.
After respective head units 307 are arranged at predetermined
positions on the supporting plate 301 as described above, the unit
base plates 309 of respective head units 307 are fixed at their
rear portions on the supporting plate 301 with fixing claws (not
shown in the drawing). The unit base plates 309 are relatively thin
and, particularly when they have insufficient flatness, the front
portions of the unit base plates 309 will come off from the
supporting plate 301, especially around the head portions 308, by
fixation of the rear portions to the supporting plate 301 with
fixing claws. Accordingly, with the head unit setting plane as the
standard, the head portions 308 are pressed by the head holding
plates 310, 310' so that the orifices 303 of respective head
portions 308 may be arranged on the same line, thus defining the
vertical positions thereof, whereby the backside of the base plate
309 can be fixed in close contact with the supporting plate
301.
The head holding plates 310, 310' not only define the vertical
portions of the head portions 308 as decribed above, but also can
prevent positional slippages of the head portions 308 through
peeling off from the unit base plate 309, for example, when the
head portions 308 are fixed by means of adhesion or the like onto
the unit base plate 309 and the adhesion force becomes insufficient
by dissolving of the adhesive by the ink oozed out from the
orifices 303.
Thus, after a predetermined number of head units 307 are arranged
at predetermined positions on the supporting plate 301, the first
signal wires (not shown) connected directly to respective head
portions 308 are connected to the lead terminal mounting plate 311
by way of screwing or the like.
Then, the second signal wires 312 from the signal output portions
(not shown) are connected via the connector 313 and the matrix
flexible print plate 314 to the wiring portions 315 of respective
head units 307. On the face of the matrix flexible print plate 314
confronting the wiring portion 315, there are provided exposed
conductor portions 316 at positions corresonding to the wiring
portions 315 of respective head units 307, with the one end of the
flexible print plate 314 being connected to the connector 313.
For connection of the flexible print plate 314 to the wiring
portions 315, registration between the wiring portions 315 and the
exposed conductor portions 316 is first effected. Registration
between the wiring portions 315 and the exposed conductor portions
316 can be effected with relative ease, since the head units 307
are fixed on the supporting plate 301 by the unit base plate 309,
the supporting stands 317 on which the wiring portions 315 are
placed can be moved on the unit base plate 309 within the degree of
freedom of the flexible print plate 318, and the widths of the
wiring portions 315 and the conductors of the flexible print plate
314 are wide enough to effect registration by visual
observation.
After registration between the wiring portions 315 and the exposed
conductor portions 316, the flexible print plate is successively
attached under pressure through rubber sheets 319 to the wiring
portions 315 by means of the press rods 320.
The press rod 320 is engaged with the press lever 322 through the
shaft 321 so as to be rotatable around the shaft 321 as the center,
and the press lever 322 is engaged with the lever fixing stand 324
fixed on the supporting plate 301 through the shaft 323 so as to be
rotatable around the shaft 323 as the center.
The press lever 322 is provided with a press screw 325. By screwing
of the press screw, the press rod 320 will bring the flexible print
plate 314 in pressure contact with the wiring portion 315 through
the rubber sheet 319, whereby the wiring portion 315 and the
flexible print plate 314 are electrically connected to each other,
and the supporting stand 317 is fixed on the unit base plate 309 at
the same time.
Thus, when it is necessary to exchange the head units 307 fixed to
the supporting unit, the press screw 325 is first loosened to
dismantle the press lever 322 and the press rod 320 from the
flexible print plate 314, and further the unit base plate 309 is
taken off from the fixing claws (not shown) simultaneously with
dismantling of the head holding plates 310, 310', whereby each head
unit 307 can be dismantled from the supporting plate 301. And,
after exchange of the head units 307, the new ones may be fixed at
the predetermined positions according to the procedure opposite to
the dismantling procedure as described above to complete the
exchange operations for respective head units.
FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 show embodiments wherein modifications are made
to the head holding plates as described above.
FIG. 4 shows an embodiment wherein the respective head portions of
the head unit 101 arranged on the supporting plate 106 are all
fixed with the head holding plate 149, and FIG. 5 an embodiment
wherein the head portions of respective head units 101 are fixed
individually through the supporting stands 151, 151' with the head
holding plate 152. In the latter arrangement, the head holding
plate 152 is provided with vertical through-holes 153 so that the
situation within each head portion can be observed.
In the present invention, by constituting the head holding plate as
shown by 310, 310' in FIG. 3 or 152 in FIG. 5, the inner condition
within each head portion can be made observable. Also, by making
the head holding plate in a shape as shown in FIG. 4 or FIG. 5 and
using a material with good thermal conductivity, the temperature
distribution at each head portion 103 can be made uniform, whereby
the difference in viscosity created by the temperature difference
of the ink supplied to respective orifices 102 and further to
respective head units 101 can be eliminated to enable stabilization
of discharging of the ink from respective orifices 102.
As described above, in the present invention, a plural number of
recording head units previously constituted separately are
assembled and arranged to complete a recording device. This enables
setting of the positions of respective units to be arranged with
very good precision. Moreover, the ink discharging outlets existing
in all units can thereby be arranged accurately on a line. Further,
in the present invention, at the time of assembling of respective
recording head units, the consititutional parts can be scrutinized
sufficiently to give an assembly constituted only of parts with
good performance. As previously mentioned, when it is necessary to
exchange the units due to damage, etc., only the part concerned
need be subjected to exchange operation and, therefore, maintenance
of the recording device as a whole can be performed very
efficiently and economically.
* * * * *